http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php Copyright 2010, Beth Ehsan Beth Ehsan en-US SPHPBLOG 0.4.8 http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100719-203711
http://www.fair.org/blog/2010/07/16/bur ... ment-28592

I've commented a couple of times so far.]]> http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100719-203711 Beth Ehsan Tue, 20 Jul 2010 03:37:11 GMT http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/comments.php?y=10&m=07&entry=entry100719-203711 http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100605-104957 Jerry Brown for Governor
Gavin Newsom for Lieutenant Governor
Debra Bowen for Secretary of State (and the others running unopposed)
Alberto Torrico for Attorney General
Hector de la Torre for Insurance Commissioner
Barbara Boxer for Senate
Tracy Emblem for Congress (50th District)
Lori Saldana, Daniel Smiechowski, Bill Irvine, Gloria Johnson, Matthew Corrales, and Eleanor Mang for Central Committee
Lantz Lewis, Richard Monroy, Robert Longstreth, De Ann Salcido, and Joel Wohlfeil for Superior Court Judges
Tom Torlakson for State Superintendent
Stephen Whitburn for Board of Supervisors
David Butler for Assessor-Recorder
Jim Duffy for Sheriff
Dan McAllister for Treasurer-Tax Collector
Howard Wayne for City Council
Yes on 13
Yes on 14
Yes on 15
No on 16
No on 17
No on A
Yes on B
Yes on C
No on D
Don't forget to vote in Tuesday's primary!]]> http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100605-104957 Beth Ehsan Sat, 05 Jun 2010 17:49:57 GMT http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/comments.php?y=10&m=06&entry=entry100605-104957 http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100516-124216
The photos are here .]]> http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100516-124216 Beth Ehsan Sun, 16 May 2010 19:42:16 GMT http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/comments.php?y=10&m=05&entry=entry100516-124216 http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100503-202712 Coast live oak Quercus agrifolia

Laurel sumac Malosma laurina

Pine (sp?)

Poison oak Toxicodendron diversilobum

Coastal sagebrush Artemisia californica

Honeysuckle Lonicera sp

White sage Salvia apiana

Black sage Salvia mellifera

Bushmallow Malacothamnus densiflorus

California sycamore Platanus racemosa

Bush monkeyflower Mimulus auranticus

Flat-top buckwheat Eriogonum fasciculatum

Chaparral yucca Hesperoyucca whipplei

White pincushion Chaenactis artemisiifolia

Yellow flowers in the Asteraceae family

Cobwebby thistle (Saturday) Cirsium occidentale occidentale

Rancher’s fiddleneck Amsinckia menziesii

Cryptantha/Plagiobothrys

Phacelia sp

Morning glory Calystegia sp

Dodder Cuscuta californica

Wild cucumber Marah macrocarpus

Dudleya sp

Wild pea Lathyrus vestitus

Deer weed Lotus scoparius

Lupine Lupinus sp.

Tomcat clover Trifolium willdenovii

Chia Salvia columbariae

Purple owl’s clover Castilleja exserta

California poppy Eschscholzia californica

Chinese houses Collinsia heterophylla

California bee plant Scrophularia californica

Jimson weed Datura discolor

Blue-eyed grass Sisrynchium bellum (Saturday)

Wild hyacinth Dichelostemma capitatum

California bulrush (Saturday) Scirpus californicus

Penstemon clevelandii or spectabilis

Snowdrop bush Styrax officinalis
]]> http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100503-202712 Beth Ehsan Tue, 04 May 2010 03:27:12 GMT http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/comments.php?y=10&m=05&entry=entry100503-202712 http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100502-232223 lesser goldfinch
acorn woodpecker
Nuttal's woodpecker
lazuli bunting
blue grosbeak **sitting next to a lazuli bunting in the same tree**
ash-throated flycatcher
red-tailed hawk
mourning dove
Anna's hummingbird
Costa's hummingbird
house wren
California towhee
spotted towhee
yellow-breasted chat
Bullock's oriole
song sparrow
yellow warbler
yellowthroat
blue-gray gnatcatcher
house finch
bushtit
wrentit

We saw a bunch of awesome flowers too!]]> http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100502-232223 Beth Ehsan Mon, 03 May 2010 06:22:23 GMT http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/comments.php?y=10&m=05&entry=entry100502-232223 http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100502-125847 If the clerics were to step outside Iran they would be amazed to see that women are walking around in public with their hair uncovered, and society is somehow still managing to function! And as for wearing a coat, believe it or not, we have this strange habit of putting on a coat when we get cold, and taking it off when we get hot! In fact, women even wear shorts and a tee-shirt when it's hot, and the moral fabric of society is still completely intact.
What could be more basic to our lives than the right to choose our own clothing? We use it every single day, as soon as we wake up in the morning. But in Iran, every time a woman leaves the house, the government tells her what to wear. (Of course Iran is not the only country that does this - Saudi Arabia comes to mind, and Afghanistan under the Taliban.)
Now that I've actually worn hijab myself, I can tell you it's just as uncomfortable as you think, if not more so. For one thing, the head scarf was constantly sliding back, and despite my best efforts to keep tugging it forward, it fell off my head multiple times during our trip, which left me perpetually nervous trying to monitor its slippage. (Women in Iran must develop extra-sensitive nerves at the base of their hair to sense where their scarf is.) When I pulled the scarf far forward, it cut off my peripheral vision. I quickly learned that turning my head would hasten the scarf's descent, and started avoiding it, either by not turning or by turning my whole body when I wanted to look to the side. Sitting in a car with a seat belt on adds another layer of complication since the shoulder belt catches the scarf. And of course it's impossible (or takes more skill than I have) to keep your hair looking nice when it's flattened and rubbed by the scarf, so it still affects you when you get home and take the scarf off.
The weather was relatively cool when we arrived in Tehran, so I didn't mind having a coat and scarf outside, but when you get inside a warm restaurant, you can't take them off and relax for the meal, but have to sit at the table all bundled up for outdoors, trying to keep your long sleeves and scarf-ends out of the food! And obviously it's torture to have to cover up like that when it's hot out. Even in the springtime the weather in Kashan was too warm for me, so I can't imagine what the women suffer in the summer.
Hijab also has a limiting effect on the types of sports women can practice, and where. Can you imagine trying to go running in long pants, long coat and head scarf? I didn't try it. Nava also told me that women are not allowed to play tennis with men, unless she goes with her brother and manages to convince the clerk to let them play together. And a family can never go to the beach or swimming pool together; there are certain hours for women and certain hours for men, to ensure that no one sees the opposite sex in a bathing suit.
It's beyond my comprehension why politicical/religious leaders continue to insist on hijab in the twenty-first century. I can see that the head scarf is a very potent symbol, and some people take pride in the head scarf as a symbol of Islamic identity, but why is it that their chosen symbol of Islam requires women to suffer physical discomfort on a daily basis? Why is it that men are free to raise their heads in Iranian society without shame, but women must be covered up? Men can pass freely between public and private space, but whenever a woman wants to step outdoors she must cover herself. I don't think I could devise a more potent symbol for misogyny if I tried!
I'm happy to report that I didn't talk to anyone in Iran who supports mandatory hijab. I met many women who only wear it when they have to, but I met others who wore the headscarf and even the chador inside the house when in mixed company. There was one couple in particular who surprised me with their opinions. Navid remembered the husband as particularly religious, and the wife wore chador into the house and came from a very religious family. But even that woman, who chooses chador for herself, said that she thinks it's a mistake to make hijab mandatory. Her husband said that he was a great supporter of the Islamic Revolution because under the Shah they had social freedom but no political freedom. But he says they were cheated: now that they have the Islamic Republic, they don't have social freedom OR political freedom. (He also told me not to listen to the government's anti-American slogans, and that the Iranian people love Americans.) I hope that opinions like theirs will eventually prevail, and Iranian women will finally be able to walk outside with their heads high and feel the wind in their hair.
]]> http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100502-125847 Beth Ehsan Sun, 02 May 2010 19:58:47 GMT http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/comments.php?y=10&m=05&entry=entry100502-125847 http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100501-203415
Iran Trip part 4 ]]> http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100501-203415 Beth Ehsan Sun, 02 May 2010 03:34:15 GMT http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/comments.php?y=10&m=05&entry=entry100501-203415 http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100427-230254
Iran Trip part 1 covers the trip over and days 1 through 3.

Iran Trip part 2 covers days 4 through 4 through 6.

Iran Trip part 3 covers days 7 and 8.

And I'm still working on part 4. Stay tuned!]]> http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100427-230254 Beth Ehsan Wed, 28 Apr 2010 06:02:54 GMT http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/comments.php?y=10&m=04&entry=entry100427-230254 http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100412-210740 http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1 ... 7115eebc66]]> http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100412-210740 Beth Ehsan Tue, 13 Apr 2010 04:07:40 GMT http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/comments.php?y=10&m=04&entry=entry100412-210740 http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100329-083903
Here is my response:

Dear Senator Feinstein,
I wrote to you about the Citizens United case before. Thank you for responding. In your response you mentioned several measures to expose corporations' activities, such as requiring disclosure to shareholders. But why should a corporation be able to spend money on politics at all without shareholder approval? If corporations are to be allowed to spend money on elections, they should be required to get shareholder approval. However, in my opinion this doesn't go far enough. I wish you would come out in support of a constitutional amendment to declare once and for all that corporations are not the people and they do not have first amendment rights. Corporate money should be kept out of politics. They have so much money that they will overwhelm citizens if they are allowed to throw their resources into elections. We must stop them now before it's too late. The future of democracy depends on it, and we will look back on right now as the pivotal point when Congress and the citizens could and should have taken action. Whether we will look back on a victory or a defeat is in all of our hands but especially in yours as an elected official. Stand strong.
]]> http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100329-083903 Beth Ehsan Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:39:03 GMT http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/comments.php?y=10&m=03&entry=entry100329-083903 http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100310-221832
Here's what I just wrote:

Please insist on a strong public option in the final healthcare bill. It's the least we can possibly settle for if we can't get single payer Medicare for All. You're my Senator. I'm counting on you to represent me. I need you to stay strong and get healthcare reform done right.
Thank you.]]> http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100310-221832 Beth Ehsan Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:18:32 GMT http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/comments.php?y=10&m=03&entry=entry100310-221832 http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100211-201623

Get your bumper sticker at http://www.peaceteam.net/bumper_stickers.php ]]> http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100211-201623 Beth Ehsan Fri, 12 Feb 2010 03:16:23 GMT http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/comments.php?y=10&m=02&entry=entry100211-201623 http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100210-204903 solar panels installed in February, and they did. They finished this morning and now we just have to wait for SDG&E's approval to turn on the system. We'll still be connected to the grid, sometimes drawing down electricity and sometimes pushing out extra. We'll only get an electric bill once a year, and if we generate more than we use, they have to pay us!
Photos of the installation are posted here and I'll add photos of the end result soon.
I can't wait to start generating our own renewable energy!]]> http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100210-204903 Beth Ehsan Thu, 11 Feb 2010 03:49:03 GMT http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/comments.php?y=10&m=02&entry=entry100210-204903 http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100201-194803
Medicare-for-all doctors arrested outside Obama-GOP meeting
Jan. 29, 2010

Rising to President Obama's challenge in his State of the Union address that others come up with a better approach to health care reform than his own, two Maryland physicians who advocate for a single-payer program stood on the sidewalk this morning outside the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel, where the president was meeting with House Republicans, and held a large banner reading, “Letting you know: Medicare for all.”

After refusing to move across the street, the two physicians were briefly taken into custody by law enforcement officials, issued a citation and then released.

One of the two was Dr. Margaret Flowers, a pediatrician and congressional fellow for Physicians for a National Health Program, an organization of 17,000 physicians who support a single-payer system, who is trying to deliver an open letter to the president calling on him to meet with her and other Medicare-for-All advocates.
Joining her was Dr. Carol Paris, a practicing psychiatrist and fellow PNHP member from southern Maryland.


Read more ]]> http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100201-194803 Beth Ehsan Tue, 02 Feb 2010 02:48:03 GMT http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/comments.php?y=10&m=02&entry=entry100201-194803 http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100128-200028
Tell President Obama to start from scratch and put single payer on the table!

Here's an Open Letter to President Obama on Health Care Reform From Margaret Flowers, MD
January 28, 2010 by Healthcare-NOW!

Dear President Obama,

I was overjoyed to hear you say in your State of the Union address last night:

“But if anyone from either party has a better approach that will bring down premiums, bring down the deficit, cover the uninsured, strengthen Medicare for seniors, and stop insurance company abuses, let me know.”

My colleagues, fellow health advocates and I have been trying to meet with you for over a year now because we have an approach which will meet all of your goals and more.

I am a pediatrician who, like many of my primary care colleagues, left practice because it is nearly impossible to deliver high quality health care in this environment. I have been volunteering for Physicians for a National Health Program ever since. For over a year now, I have been working with the Leadership Conference for Guaranteed Health Care/ National Single Payer Alliance. This alliance represents over 20 million people nationwide from doctors to nurses to labor, faith and community groups who advocate on behalf of the majority of Americans, including doctors, who favor a national Medicare for All health system.

Read the rest

]]> http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100128-200028 Beth Ehsan Fri, 29 Jan 2010 03:00:28 GMT http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/comments.php?y=10&m=01&entry=entry100128-200028 http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100118-194408
That day, Shahram helped save over a dozen lives - while here in America on a student visa.

Shahram is one of the many Iranians who have contributed to American society, but Rep. Gresham Barrett has chosen to ignore that.

more ]]> http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100118-194408 Beth Ehsan Tue, 19 Jan 2010 02:44:08 GMT http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/comments.php?y=10&m=01&entry=entry100118-194408 http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100104-225024 By Greg Kaufmann
January 1, 2010

Published by The Nation.

The Progressive Caucus (CPC) is the largest caucus in Congress with 82 members—it dwarfs the often-hyped Blue Dog Democrats with its 52 yapping pups.

Yet the CPC has struggled to get the respect and attention it has strived for—prior to this Congress, it seemed like the mainstream media wouldn't even refer to it by name, instead using vague descriptions like "the liberal wing of the party."

That's because getting the talented but diverse Caucus to unite and show its legislative muscle has often been described—even by its own members—as herding cats.
This might be the moment for the Caucus to change all that in dramatic fashion.

The House healthcare bill passed by just five votes—220 to 215. Surely the CPC's 81 House votes (the 82nd member is a Senator, CPC founder Bernie Sanders) should be viewed as just as powerful as the votes of Ben Nelson or Joe Lieberman in the Senate. But will a strong majority of the CPC unite around a single provision and insist that it be included in the final bill exchange for their support?

One item worth rallying around—and it hasn't received a lot of attention—is waiver language that would permit states to implement alternatives to insurance market exchanges, including single-payer systems.

The Senate bill allows states to apply for such waivers in 2017, but that's arguably too late. States would be required to establish (and invest in) the insurance market exchanges in 2014, making it difficult to develop and provide resources for any alternative model. The House bill doesn't have any waiver language at all, though CPC members—including CPC co-chairs Raúl Grijalva and Lynn Woolsey, and Congressman Dennis Kucinich—fought successfully for similar language in the House Committee on Education and Labor version.

Canada's healthcare system evolved from a program first established in Saskatchewan. Will states in the US have a similar opportunity to serve as incubators and prove that single-payer can provide comprehensive coverage and reduce costs? The CPC has the power to insist on it—if it chooses to do so.]]> http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100104-225024 Beth Ehsan Tue, 05 Jan 2010 05:50:24 GMT http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/comments.php?y=10&m=01&entry=entry100104-225024 http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry091206-200828 My friend Michael died on Wednesday.
obituary
I hope death brought him peace. He brought happiness to others in a million ways, but had trouble finding happiness in his own life. Nonetheless, there are so many happy memories I will treasure.
Dancing with Michael was a dream, especially his signature "one step" that glided across the floor with complete freedom.
He took the time and thought to have real conversations every time, not settling for pleasantries.
He organized many social events that brought people together.
He introduced people to the joys of dancing and canoeing. He took the time and effort to learn his students' names.
He was a master gingerbread architect.
He had a fine, strong voice for Christmas carols.
He was a great cook.
He made lovely flower arrangements.
He always stopped to pet dogs (with the owner's permission, of course).
He gave his time, talent, and heart to serving others, criss-crossing the country to volunteer for people in need, including the victims of the 2007 wildfires here in San Diego.
No one who knew him will ever forget him.
More pictures ]]> http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry091206-200828 Beth Ehsan Mon, 07 Dec 2009 03:08:28 GMT http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/comments.php?y=09&m=12&entry=entry091206-200828 http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry091107-153944 From Congressmen Dennis Kucinich and John Conyers

My disappointment soon extended to Rep. Anthony Weiner, not to mention Speaker Pelosi: NEWS: REP. WEINER WITHDRAWS SINGLE PAYER AMENDMENT FROM CURRENT HEALTH CARE DEBATE

Despite the clear superiority of the single-payer system, single-payer was taken off the table by the White House, ignored or maligned by the corporate media, silenced by Congressional leadership, and now, surrendered by its erstwhile champions in the Congress. The American people have been betrayed by all of our elected officials. We're on our own. We'll be okay as long as we never get sick. Cross your fingers.]]> http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry091107-153944 Beth Ehsan Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:39:44 GMT http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/comments.php?y=09&m=11&entry=entry091107-153944 http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry091105-202138 post on the Repower America wall, and add your own!]]> http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry091105-202138 Beth Ehsan Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:21:38 GMT http://www.bethandnavid.com/blog/comments.php?y=09&m=11&entry=entry091105-202138